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power of nature IT SOUNDED MORE LIKE A LARK THAN a scientific study when a handful of Japanese researchers set out to discover whether something special —and clini- cally therapeutic — happens when peo- ple spend time in nature. They were in- spired by a new recommendation from the Forest Agency of Japan, which in the early 198os began advising people to take strolls in the woods for better health. The practice was called forest bathing, or shinrin yoku, and it was be- lieved to lower stress —but that hadn't been proved. Since then, a large body of evidence has shown that spending time in nature is responsible for many mea- surable beneficial changes in the body. In one early study, Yoshifumi Miya- zaki, a forest- therapy expert and researcher at Chiba University in Japan, found that people who spent 40 minutes walking in a cedar forest had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which is involved in blood pressure and immune - system function, compared with when they spent 40 minutes walking in a lab. "I was surprised," Miyazaki recalls. "Spending time in the forest induces a state of physiologic relaxation:' Another researcher, Dr. Qing Li, a professor at the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo, found that trees and plants emit aromatic compounds called 0 phytoncides that, when inhaled, can spur healthy biological changes in a manner similar to aromatherapy, which has also been studied for its therapeutic benefits. In his studies, Li has shown that when people walk through or stay overnight in forests, they often exhibit changes in the blood that are associated with protection against cancer, better immunity and lower blood pressure. Recent studies have also linked nature to symptom relief for health issues like heart disease; depression, cancer, anxiety and attention disorders. "The quiet atmosphere, beautiful scenery, good smells and fresh, clean air in forests all contribute to the effects," says Li. ❑